Same Word- different place, different meaning

I'm in the UK and here the word "fanny" means something rather different to the way Americans use it.

First time I heard the American usage I was left wondering if my notion that Americans are generally very polite might be mistaken.

 

Very mistaken. :lol:
(also I have no clue what the British use of the word fanny is)



The only one I can think of currently is from the person who will be my supervisor next year - she's from Ohio and I found out from her that they apparently refer to vacuums as "sweepers."

She noted this when she heard a story from another clerk who was asked by a patron if he could check out a "sweeper" and she got him a broom - which is exactly what I would have done in the her place :lol:.


And then of course the varying uses for "soda" across the US. "Pop" is more common here.

 

Well I heard that "fanny pack" means something sexual in Australia and you should never say it there

 

I was five years old when I ordered my first fish and chips basket. I was really confused when they brought me fries instead of chips.

 

When i heard an American say the word fanny i burst out laughing, they told me it means ass, i told them its not what it means here . Or the word queer doesn't really mean gay in my town, its normally used in place of the word odd or strange, for example: tis queer whether we're have'n!

 

I had a friend from Scotland who said that "bum" meant someone's buttocks, not a shiftless vagabond who sponges from others. As in, "I put a clean diaper on the baby's bum". I thought it strange.

 

Using 'bum' to mean 'buttocks/ass/derrière' is standard in the UK. I'm surprised you've never come across the word in that sense before.

I think it's used in the same way in Australia & New Zealand too but don't quote me on that.

 

What you call a napkin and Americans call a Diaper, we call a nappy in the UK.

We use napkins at mealtimes in the UK :eek: but some people in the UK call napkins serviettes. :icon_bigg

 

Here we call the big trucks that carry stuff transports, other places call them semi's.

 

In Australia thongs means flip flops and in New Zealand it's jandals

 

My favorite is rubber. In the UK it means eraser, and in the US it's slang for condom. :lol:

 

Whoops, I appearently missed the whole purpose :/

 

<<< suddenly very glad that my mother is an anglophile so, I grew up with most of the UK slang. I was obsessed with Australia so, I picked up some of it as well.

I wish that the English language was more expressive. In Arabic, I can call my friends or even strangers 'my love' and it's normal but in English, I'm embarrassed even to call a friend this.

 

I wasn't aware that Americans called napkins "diapers". I've seen it used that way online, but never once have I heard someone say it. Also, I saw someone posted "pop" and "soda". It's more of a soda thing where I'm from. I think I'm just going to start saying. "Yes, can you pour me a glass of that carbonated beverage."

 

In the UK Durex is a brand of condom, in Australia a brand of sticky tape (I'm flinching even thinking about that one. I expect it's a mistake you'll only ever make once.).

 

Chips in Australia = crisps in the UK.

 

Hmm I think in the UK it's mostly used for opposite genders or with females, when I was visiting a young lady told me while I was waiting in line at the supermarket 'go ahead love' it felt so nice lol. I guess two guys won't use it to each other though.

This is more same word, different time but I remember reading an old book in which a man describes his childhood as full of fun and gay. Meaning full of fun and joy (I guess most of you know this already)